This invention relates in general to security systems for dispensing fuel to a motor vehicle, and in particular to a system that provides security for dispensing fuel as well as controlling maintenance of the vehicle.
Operators of a fleet of vehicles often use their own fuel dispensing sites and maintenance personnel. For example, a typical city with a population of several hundred thousand may have a large number of vehicles used by police, fire department, street and parks department, and the like. The city often will have several sites located around the city where individual operators can receive fuel for their vehicles. Usually there are one or more maintenance sites. Routine maintenance such as changing oil and lubricating the vehicle requires an operator to keep check of the current mileage and take the vehicle in for service when needed.
Security and maintenance problems are abundant in the systems. In regard to security, theft of fuel by employees and nonemployees is not uncommon. In regard to maintenance, often the operators will not have a car exclusively assigned to them, thus will be too busy and lack the feeling of responsibility necessary to assure that maintenance is performed when it is needed. Consequently, much of the maintenance performed on a vehicle results only when the vehicle needs emergency repair.
Some fleet operators, such as cities, have security systems. A typical security system utilizes a card that has an identification number punched into it or located on a magnetic strip. The pumps are controlled by a central processing unit located remote from the fuel dispensing site. To receive fuel, the card is inserted into a card reader at the site. This information is communicated to the central processing unit, which determines if the card is a valid card. If valid, the pump will be turned on for dispensing fuel.
There are problems with these types of systems. It requires that a communication link always be available between the fuel dispensing site and the central processing unit, and sometimes this is not possible. Employee theft can still occur since the cards may be stolen, or the fuel may be dispensed into a vehicle other than a city vehicle. Forged cards may be undetectable in some systems, as well. Also, these security systems have no effect on the need for assuring periodic maintenance of the vehicle.